Strong levels of employee engagement help improve revenue, deliver better levels of customer service and lead to a better profit margin.
However, according to a recent Gallup poll carried out in the USA, 45% of employees described themselves as ‘not engaged’ while a further 26% said they were ‘actively disengaged.’ This is an overwhelming majority of employees and has serious consequences as businesses strive to improve productivity, performance and efficiency.
One of the biggest factors in these figures is employee burnout. Employees who burn out very quickly become disengaged, demotivated and their performance levels plummet. Employers and employees both have responsibility to avoid this and there are a number of ways this can, and should, be done in the workplace.
But nothing beats a great vacation for recharging the batteries. Some people will happily spend a week on the beach armed with a collection of books and sun tan lotion, others will want to explore new horizons and tackle new adventures. The most important thing we can all do is to enjoy a vacation where we come back motivated, engaged and fully recharged.
We asked a selection of HR experts their advice for making the most of a vacation. Here’s what they told us:
Go away and forget about work until the night you’re due to start back. Focus, and then be excited about the coming months. - David Partridge, Head of Digital Enterprise Talent Acquisition, Fullstream Consulting
The best thing I can suggest is to not take the work phone, iPad or computer on your holiday. Better still, if you have to take a personal device, lock it in the hotel safe and restrict use to 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. This means if you absolutely need to, you can still check on work emails.
I’ve seen too many families buried in technology in bars and restaurants while on holiday. Holidays are time to reconnect with the family or to simply enjoy yourself. - Mark Sadler, Senior Vice President at Capgemini
Other insights we were given included practising mindfulness, preparing thoroughly before leaving, not trying to achieve too much on the first days back and, most importantly, to enjoy it.